Clay Cups

“bhar”

The ubiquitious chai cup

Made from clay and is used to serve chai, a milky sweet street beverage served piping hot all over India

Chai Stall

Here you see a mix of traditional clay pots and plastic cups. Kolkata

Chai cups

Only in eastern India has this practice endured, and indeed flourished

The drying of cups

Cups are set to dry on rooftops before firing

Firing The Clay

A kiln has been built to fire the clay cups by the potter families of Kolkata

One At A Time

A potter finishes shaping cups, his deft hands creating a new one almost every minute

Clay Store

A store in a bazaar in Kolkata, India that specializes in clay pottery for everyday and ritual use, as well as other sustainable, traditional alternatives like leaf and bamboo plates.

Other Uses

The same potters also make urns for storing water. This format has been used for centuries in India to store drinking water, and has the added advantage of keeping the water cool in the blistering heat of its summers

The ubiquitous bhar, an unbaked, disposable clay cup, used to be found all across India, as the vessel of choice for drinking chai: a milky sugary tea that fuels India. As of now, it is mainly used in and around Kolkata, in Eastern India. Still made by hand from river silt, it is a vital part of the traditional economy of the region.

The process uses heat, essentially from low-grade fuels, but the clay pots are minimally baked, and hence not very energy intensive. After use, it is usually smashed, and dissolves into the ground. Compostable.

• Original name(s) : bhar, kulhad/kulhar (India, Pakistan)

• Material : clay

• Usage : beverage / food container

• Cost : very low ±$0.006 / 100ml container

• Traditional Purpose : takeaway

• Life-cycle : disposable / recyclable

• Durability : single-use / fragile

• Status : In-Use

• Food Safe : yes, for single-use, will dissolve over time

• Energy Usage : dirty

• Production Effort : handmade / labor intensive

• Region(s) of Origin : Eastern India